Ginny gestured toward Darius. “I don’t know, girlfriend. Darius doesn’t look like he’ll give you the happily-ever-after you’re hoping for.”
Peyton glanced at Darius. His features were dark with anger. “Darius?”
He spoke over her. “Ginny, you shouldn’t be here. Take your guest and leave.”
Ginny’s jaw dropped. “But—”
Darius’s voice hardened. “Take your guest and leave. Please.”
Ginny sighed. “Come on, Bruce.”
“Not without my fiancée.” Bruce stood his ground.
Darius straightened to his full height, which was several inches above the other man. He lowered his voice. “The lady said she’s not your fiancée, so there’s nothing and no one for you here.”
Peyton grew increasingly nervous as the two men squared off.
Finally, Bruce blinked. “I’ll leave but only because Peyton Harris is hardly worth fighting over. You’ll soon come to realize that for yourself.”
The words stung as Bruce had intended them to. Peyton stepped back into the apartment, wishing she could sink into the floor.
Darius’s growled response stopped her lowering thoughts. “You’re too self-absorbed to see the worth of the woman you’ve lost. That’s your fault.”
This is what it felt like to have someone in her corner, someone who respected and valued her. Peyton blinked back tears.
Bruce shoved past Ginny and disappeared down the landing. Peyton heard his footfalls on the metal staircase leading to the apartment building’s parking lot. Good riddance.
Ginny looked from Darius to Peyton. Peyton couldn’t read the other woman’s expression. That added to her unease.
“What are you doing, Darius?” Ginny searched his face. “You don’t care about her. You don’t care about anyone. You’re just like your father.”
Peyton glared at Darius’ stalker. She stepped closer to take Ginny to task. But Darius’s cold words stopped her.
“Leave, Ginny, or I’ll call the sheriff’s office. You don’t want your name to appear in another police report, do you?”
Ginny split her glare between the two of them before disappearing from Peyton’s view. Darius closed and locked his front door. His movements were controlled. What was he thinking? What was he feeling? Peyton wished she could read his mind.
“Thank you for defending me to Bruce.” Her voice was tentative. “No one’s ever done that for me before.”
“You lied to me.” Darius spoke with his back to her. His voice was taut, stilted.
Peyton shivered in the sudden cold. “No, I didn’t.”
Darius turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You didn’t tell me you were engaged. That’s lying by omission.”
“Bruce and I aren’t engaged anymore. I’ve explained that.”
“When did you end your engagement?”
“Before Thanksgiving break.”
“A month ago.” Darius straightened from his front door and paced past her. “So you were engaged when you moved to Trinity Falls. I never saw a ring on your finger.”
Peyton tracked Darius with her gaze. He was agitated, but she didn’t know what to say to appease him. “I knew I wasn’t going to marry Bruce. That’s why I didn’t wear his ring when I moved here.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Darius rubbed his eyes with his thumb and two fingers. “If you knew you weren’t going to marry him, why did you accept his ring?”
Peyton wrapped her arms around her waist. She was more chilled now than when she’d stood before the open front door. “Because I wanted to please my parents.”